captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations >> osgood: good morning, i'm charles osgood and this is sun sun. just two days to christmas and millions of families across the land can really wait to get together and unwrap our gifts. the most precious gift, though, is something that won't fit under a christmas tree. there's a gift of caring, comfort, compassion and, above all, the gift of time. seth doane will be reporting on our "sunday morning" cover

story. >> many people don't have any. i think it's the same all the time. >> reporter: and time has never been more precious for theresa curtis. which is why she and her family are going on an all expense paid vacation. you call it a time out from cancer? >> a time out from cancer because that's exactly what it is. >> beautiful here. >> reporter: a journey to remember ahead on "sunday morning." >> osgood: bradley cooper is an actor with a number of successful films to his credit and to hear some industry observers tell it a possible academy award nomination in his future. er is ree that altschul catches up with him in his own hometown. >> it's a night you'll never forget. >> reporter: "the hangover" made bradley cooper one of hollywood's biggest stars. now his role in the new film "silver linings play book" has critics talking about an oscar. >> you look nice.

>> reporter: not that anyone from philly is surprised. >> i just saw your movie. it was great. >> did you like it? >> i loved it. >> oh, good. >> reporter: what does it do for you coming here? >> tranquility. >> reporter: going whom bradley cooper, ahead on "sunday morning." >> osgood: most of us think a family portrait and a still life are two totally different art forms. bill geist will set us straight. >> reporter: you may be getting a lot of christmas cards about now. >> this was exactly last year. >> reporter: but you've probably never received one from a family quite like this. here comes the family now. >> smile, smile! >> osgood: placido domingo is a singer who hardly ever sits still for long. not with his schedule of performances. tracy smith got him to take some time out. >> reporter: he may be the finest tenor the world has ever known.

♪ ♪ but placido domingo says he wasn't always the best businessman. >> we did it because we loved to be together, you know? we didn't have any royalties. >> reporter: no royaltys? >> no royalties. we don't say for anything so they don't give us anything. >> reporter: still, he's more than made up for it. ahead on "sunday morning" plas dedomingo home for the holidays. >> that's good. that's good. >> osgood: mo rocca has the story of "a christmas story's" broadway debut. steve hartman tracks down a secret santa. bill flanagan and david edelstein share their movie picks and first, the headlines of this "sunday morning". funeral and memorial services for the 26 children and adults killed by a gunman at the sandy hook elementary school are coming to an end. services for two of the first graders were held yesterday in connecticut. another memorial service was

held in utah. officials say newtown, connecticut, is being inundated with gifts from around the world. in fact, they say the donations, including some 60,000 teddy bears-- are simply too much for the town to handle, they're suggesting gifts for organization serving needy children elsewhere. hawaiians are paying their last respects to senator daniel inouye in honolulu. funeral services will be held later today. the president and first lady michelle obama, now vacationing in hawaii are expected to attend. in japt, the ruling muslim brotherhood government says a proposed islamist-backed constitution has been approved by voters. in new delhi, police used water cannons for a second day to break up protests over the gang rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a bus last weekend. the protesters are demanding the death penalty for all six suspects arrested by police. shopper track, which monitors

store sales nationwide, is cutting its holiday buying forecast after first projecting sales would rise 3.3% from last year, it now says sales will be up but about 2.5%. it attributes the slowdown to superstorm sandy and the newtown shooting, saying they have tempered buyer enthusiasm. now today's weather cold in the plains and much of the nyse, the chance of showers. the southeast will have temperatures on the chilly side. the west more stormy weather. with odds of a white christmas look good in the northern tier of the nation. the south and parts of the west can expect rain. ahead -- >> okay, on your mark, get set --. >> osgood: say cheese.

>> osgood: in this season of giving we take note of a very special group that gives a gift that is needed this time of the year. our "sunday morning" cover story is reported now by seth doane. >> it's beautiful here! >> reporter: any vacation is a fleeting break from routine. a chance to relax and make

memories. but for the curtis family, visiting this 3,000 acre dude ranch in southern arizona, time together seemed more precious than ever. how is it to get out of that routine that you're in. >> very nice, very nice. undescribeable. ♪ i am trying to stay -- >> reporter: for four days earlier this month the curtiss left reality behind, back in woodburn, kentucky. >> you always think you have a lot of time, you always think you would do something later. >> reporter: at least until 18 months ago. that's when theresa-- mother to sally and levi and wife to high school sweetheart jeff-- received a terminal diagnosis. >> i have stage 4 breast cancer that has metastasizeed to the bones. the biggest thing is my spine with -- there is at least one

lesion in every vertebrae. >> reporter: chemo was devastating. she has her hair back now which at least makes her look healthy. but cancer is always a part of their lives. >> it's always there and i know it's always on the kids' mind, always on jeff's mind. but it never goes away. it's like the big elephant in the room, but at least we talk about it. >> reporter: theresa's doctor, vanderbilt medical center oncologist vandana abramson, understands families like the curtises face more than just medical problems. >> the hardest part is that they have to be preparing for life without one parent in the future. so there's a lot going on with these families. a lot outside of the realm of what most normal families have to deal with. there's a lot of anxiety for the entire family. >> reporter: so along with the

morphine and hydrocodone, dr. abramson called for something you can't find in any pharmacy. >> i prescribed this trip as part of her treatment because i thought she and her family needed a chance to get away, not think about her cancer diagnosis not think about anything else. i think they needed something special. >> reporter: which is where the jack and jill late stage cancer foundation come in. john albert is its founder. you ate timeout from cancer? >> we call it a timeout from cancer. that's what it is. >> reporter: a distraction. >> an opportunity to live. to live life. >> reporter: albert's nonprofit raises money to send families like the curtises on an all expense paid vacation. >> reporter: who qualifies for a trip like this. >> a young mom or dad with limited life and they have children under 18. that's it. any cancer, any economic group, socioeconomic group. these are families low are who

are facing the imn't in loss of their mom or dad. >> reporter: john albert know this is kind of loss all too well. he created the foundation in 2006 with his wife jill as she was dying from metastatic breast cancer. >> the cruelest aspect of late-stage cancer is the emotion. jill was afraid our kids would forget her. >> reporter: forget her? >> they were seven and nine when she was diagnosed. that have's why i started the foundation. to give other young moms and dads the comfort, the relief, the joy to know that they can get back the gift of memories to their children. >> reporter: the foundation works with oncologists to identify families to go on these trips. it relies on contributions from the public, along with donations from airlines, hotel chains, and cruiselines to host families struggling with end-stage cancer. the foundation does it wall a full-time staff of three.

how is this not just saddest job in the world? >> it really is absolutely the opposite. i get to deal with laughter and smiles and unbelievable joy everyday. >> thank you. >> reporter: families typically choose between a few vacation options. >> whoa! >> reporter: the curtises opted for a stay at the white stallion ranch just outside tucson. it's the farthest west ten-year-old sally has ever traveled-- a world away from the stresses at home. what does this do to a family tv diagnosis like this? for it to be as serious as it is. >> it really brings things down, kind of. like you're always thinking about something. something's happening. but now we really aren't thinking about anything. (laughs) >> reporter: what do you mean?

>> we aren't thinking about the cancer at all, we're just thinking about having fun, what are we going to do next? are we going to ride horses? all that. >> reporter: they road as often as they could. theresa watched as her family learned to herd cattle, sad but also serene. >> it's a calmness. i don't know if i can describe it. it's just -- where you just take a deep breath and just relax and just don't really think about anything at all. >> reporter: the jack and jill late-stage cancer foundation aims not just to provide that elusive break but also a trip so memorable they call it a "wow." >> two years ago we thought we had 20, 30, 40 years together. now we don't know. >> reporter: bill francis's wife

sondra is living with brain cancer so on their vacation to denver this the foundation gave them v.i.p. treatment at a broncos game. complete with the a meet-and-greet with n.f.l. star dallas sparks. and the run of a westin hotel suite that the obama family calls home during the 2008 democratic convention. >> we're special this weekend, you know? we're out and people are taking care of us and helping us and we're going to enjoy the weekend but we're taking with us forever >> reporter: an escape captured forever me photographs, just some of the thousands filling the photo albums of more than 600 families and counting. >> hi! >> reporter: elizabeth giordano and daughters look back at their photos all the time. her husband died last year at 42. what do you think the trip meant

to todd? >> oh, everything. >> reporter: todd lived for just six months after his diagnosis and elizabeth says a vacation seemed hard to justify. but at sesame place in philadelphia all seemed just right. >> the girls enjoyed it; we enjoyed it as a family. and that was the last time we were a family on the trip because we literally flew home and two hours after we landed i was taking todd to the hospital and he didn't come home. >> reporter: at the white stallion ranch, jeff curtis tried not to think about why the family was there. does this trip really make a difference? it doesn't change anything. >> yes, it does. if just for ten minutes they forget about mom being sick it's

worth it. >> reporter: they posed before a rainbow that appeared in the arizona sky and for all the comfort it provided theresa felt something else, too:. >> the word "grateful" keeps coming to my mind. >> osgood: next, it's the "sunday morning" before the night before christmas. ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) ♪(music playing) delicious hershey's chocolateh, with 30% less fat?

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>> osgood: and now a page from our "sunday morning" almanac. december 23, 1823. 'twas the night before the night before christmas that the sentinel visited "a visit from st. nicholas" then just newly minted. i don't have to tell you, you know it for sure "a visit from saint nicholas" by clement clark moore. someone read it to you and you've read it to yours. a few of us now sleep with kir chief or cap, the poem to the times always seemed to adapt. and though doubts about authorship sometimes raise a clatter, to most of us, any such doubts hardly matter. now, dasher, now franer and vic seine, on comet, on donner and bit zen. to the top of the porch,-to-the

top of the wall, now dash away, dash away, dash away all! every year at this time we go straight to this work. for an adult with children it's a highly prized pirg. so spring once again to your young give a whittle and read them this tale of a sleigh like a missile. let them hear as o as you put out the light "happy christmas to all and to all good night." sfchl. >> osgood: coming up, the story of "a christmas story." okay, here's the plan.

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>> osgood: 'tis the season for "a christmas story. the 1983 film in which this rather unusual lamp played a memorable role. now the story is being retold on broadway. mo rocca sets the stage. >> reporter: if "a miracle on 34th street --" >> christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mine. >> reporter: -- and "it's a wonderful life --" >> merry christmas you wonderful old building and loan! >> reporter: -- are the frankincense and mir of christmas movies, then the gold may very well be -- >> a triple dog dare you! >> reporter: -- 1983's a christmas story. >> jeff! jeff! >> reporter: if you haven't seen

"a christmas story," well, it's the tale of 2012-year-old ralphie parker. it's something of a cockeyed look at christmas. >> would you look at that! >> reporter: ralphie's dad obsessive over a leg lamp he won in a contest. >> it reminds me of the fourth of july! >> reporter: a pack of dogs makes off with christmas dinner. and santa is anything but jolly. >> what do you want for christmas, little boy? >>. >> reporter: it's like the seinfeld of christmas movies. what do you mean by that? >> well, in some ways it's the commitment to the mundane. >> reporter: for 41-year-old peter billingsley looks familiar, that's because he played ralphie. >> it's the simple little things that drive you crazy around christmas. trying to get your little brother to eat, picking a tree, trying to cook a turkey, all those things. >> reporter: now billingsley is

one of the producers of "a christmas story: the broadway musical." ♪ get there on the double! >> reporter: 12-year-old johnny rabb plays ralphie. ♪ ralphie too the rescue -- >> reporter: ten-year-old zach ballard is randy's brother randy, the one who memorably pigs out on mashed potatoes. >> good! that's my piggy. did you ever think of asking a stunt man to do that for you? >> no, i never want a stunt man to do that. >> reporter: you do your own stunts? >> yeah. >> reporter: what's your motivation? >> um, what do you mean by "motivation"? >> i don't even know what i'm asking. whatever you're doing, it's great. this family favorite was a series of stories written by radio commentator gene shepherd in, of all places,play bog

magazine. the stories became a book which then became a movie. >> rose fudge! >> reporter: only i did isn't "fudge" i said the word. the big one. >> reporter: the number one that people say to you when you come up is -- >> that's my family. or you were me. or that's my mom, that was my dad. it seems like that midwest area is relate to believe everyone. in the country. it feels like everyone's street. >> reporter: the movie wasn't a box office hit, but then cable t.v. turned it into one of the greatest comeback stories ever told. >> we're going to get you exactly what you want for christmas! >> reporter: a 24-hour marathon watched by almost 50 million last year has been playing since 1997 making it the yule log of christmas movies. when you come to visit, where do you stay? >> i stay in the third -- the

house. >> reporter: fans of the film include brian jones. in 2004 he found on ebay the cleveland house used as ralphie's home. he bought it sight unseen. he did not tell his wife. how long did it take for your wife to forgive you? >> the day i opened it. we had a line down the block four or five people wide. >> reporter: today there are still lines. >> does anybody know who played the mom? >> reporter: open to the public since 2006, the home is a shrine to ralphie. >> hello, folks, welcome to "the christmas story" museum. >> reporter: there's a leg lamp in the window and a kitchen sink visitors can hide under, just like randy did. >> what's the matter? what are you crying? >> reporter: do any full-size people get tlurnd. >> i've gone in there. would you like it-to-see it? >> reporter: of course! >> i'm 6'3, about 200 pounds. >> reporter: this is what you call a superfan.

>> works perfectly. >> reporter: jones helps pay for the house by selling-- what else-- leg lamps. >> these are for the kids or if you want one on your desk, there even a night light. >> a night light. >> reporter: of course, the lamp lamps made it into the broadway musical. along within a show-stopping tap dance number. and if the young cast of the musical is any indication, "christmas story" still has legs. who had sign the movie before you did the musical. >> it's a classic. >> reporter: is there anyone here who wasn't a fan of the movies? >> i'm jewish. (laughter) >> reporter: what do you think the missage of this story is? >> well, it all comes down to, like, love. >> reporter: that's very nice. zach? >> it's a heartwarming story.

it's just the best christmas story ever. >> osgood: oh, please, call me monkey. the actually, it's placido domingo next. and later -- >> got it! >> osgood: back home with actor bradley cooper.

>> reporter: there are opera singers and then there is placido domingo. ♪ ♪ even to non-opera fans he is a force of nature. threat pop stars have their microphones, he doesn't need those gadgets. ♪ ♪

on stage, domingo is invincible. but real life is trickier for a man whose legacy is his voice. there r there certain things you have to avoid? how do you protect it? how do you take care of it? >> the worst thing is to fly in a plane and you find then your neighbor has a cold. >> reporter: what do you do? >> you move. i change planes. i cannot be in a long flight -- five, six hours, ten, 12, i have to change, i have to move seats. no hard feelings but it's my own responsibility. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: opera-- at this level, anyway-- is as much physical and musical. and, like any star athlete, domingo has his own pre-game routine. >> the voice shines more and the day before a performance you are wiped. i sleep as much as possible. it's not that i am completely quiet but that's something i

respect. i have respected it all my life. >> reporter: clearly it works. >> maybe it's the difference. maybe i know how to sing but i don't know how to speak. it makes me tired. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: if speaking makes him tired, nothing else seems to placido domingo has been on a kind of non-stop tour for most of the past five decades. he's played just about every opera house from turin to tokyo. 3,600 performances, singing. ♪ ♪ conducting, reveling in the loving rigor that great music demands. >> when i conduct i sweat. >> reporter: it's very physical. >> it's physical. i have to change in intermission all my clothes completely. >> reporter: because they're sweated through? >> yes, completely. >> reporter: you might say the

passion for performance is in his blood. placido domingo was born in sfin a musical family who settled in mexico. his father owned a small musical theater company. his mother was an accomplished opera singer. young placido trained for a career as a pianist until the day his mother heard him sing. >> one day i was sitting at the piano, i was singing a mexican song and i hit a certain phrase and i see my mother crying. i said "what's the matter? " she said "that was a beautiful song." and so then i -- i kind of understood that i could be a singer. >> reporter: could he ever! ♪ ♪ >> reporter: this year marks placido domingo's 45th at new york's metropolitan opera. but he's never been satisfied with just one genre. he's come out with a new pop album featuring duets, including

one with his son placido, jr. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: but for all of his success on his own, he's probably best known for some as part of a heavyweight trio with jose car rares are a and luciano pavarotti, the three tenors. ♪ ♪ they were only supposed to do this once during the world cup soccer final in 1990. but the act caught fire. did you have any idea starting off when the three of you got together how huge it would be? >> no. no. never, never. ♪ friends, i've had a few -- >> reporter: the producers made a fortune on that first concert. the tenors, not so much. >> we didn't have any royalties. >> reporter: no royaltys? >> no royalties. they sold over ten million tickets.

we don't say for anything so they don't give us anything. ♪ i like to be in america ♪ everything free in america ♪ for a small fee in america >> reporter: we did it because we love vd to be together, you know? also we loved so much the performance. >> reporter: so the love of soccer compensated for the lack of royaltys? >> absolutely! we were very happy -- first of all, we were very happy to sing together. >> reporter: for the encore they made a much better deal. domingo says that reports of a feud between the tenors were untrue. >> we were friendly rivals. >> reporter: friendly rivals? frenemys, do you know that term? >> frenemys? that i don't hear. i say friendly rivals. the rivalry was created by the press and by the agents because we got along very well. >> reporter: pavarotti's death in 2007 hit especially hard. >> it was sad because you lose a

person that you have admired and loved and also you see the reality of life. you're born, you live, and you die. >> reporter: it was hardedly first time he'd known loss. >> no one can know just how many people died today when that monster earthquake ripped through at least three mexican states. >> reporter: in 1985, an earthquake hit mexico city, burying some of his family members in the cubled wreckage. domingo canceled his schedule and rushed to the scene. >> they are doing everything they can and i realize it has to be very slow in order to save lives but i wish that they could do something faster. >> reporter: his parents were unhurt, but four other relatives-- including a young child-- died in the ruins. >> after six days we find them. so that was a horrible, horrible thing. i

>> you don't know what you want for christmas yet? >> i want a dog but my mom won't let me. >> reporter: these days this is placido domingo's favorite audience. >> power rangers. >> reporter: you know power rangers. >> yes, of course! >> reporter: his grandchildren have prompted interesting career moves. i'm impressed you know these career moves. >> i have to do something for them. i did "beverly hills chihuahua." >> say hello to my little friends. >> yup, that's him. >> please, call me monkey. ♪ i did it >> reporter: he was also the voice of an evil wizard in a recent "dora the explorer." his grand kids' approval is important. it is work, and on this day in the choice of a christmas tree. >> which one do you like? >> reporter: this time of year domingo's only command performance is with his family. >> it's good.

as much as i work the whole year those holidays we should be together. >> reporter: no working on christmas? that's lovely. after the holiday it is maestro will hit the road with at least 80 performances already on the books for 2013. but placido domingo-- who turns 72 in a few weeks-- is well aware that every career-- no matter how stellar-- has a final curtain. >> so i feel strong still but you never know. >> reporter: do you wonder when the day will come that it will start to fade? >> i'm not scared. i have done such a long career, i will just go down on my knees and just thank god for giving me so much. ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause)

>> osgood: yes, staten island, there is a santa claus. coming up. ♪ [ female announcer ] with depression, simple pleasures can simply hurt. the sadness, anxiety, the loss of interest. the aches and pains and fatigue. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk.

severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. simple pleasures shouldn't hurt. talk to your doctor about cymbalta. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. depression hurts. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter. he's built a rocket ship to travel into space." google, how far is earth to the moon? the moon is 238,900 miles... "the great moment had come." 3, 2, 1... [ giggling ]

oz soz there really such a person as secret santa in new york's battered section of new york's staten island. >> reporter: even though she it's christmas, janet told us

she had no interest in celebrating christmas this year. >> i don't have anything left. >> reporter: she hated they were selling christmas trees in her neighborhood. that's how down some people are on staten island, new york, and neighboring new jersey where hurricane sandy hit hardest. which is exactly why he's here. >> i'm secret san. a. >> reporter: his real name i can't tell you. his face i can't show you. all i can say is he's a wealthy businessman from missouri who ever december goes to cities and towns in america he thinks beneath need him most. >> merry christmas, sweetie. >> reporter: he then gives away hundred dollar bills. about a hundred thousand dollars worth of hundred dollar bills. all to random strangers he finds at thrift stores laundromats and soup kitchens. >> reporter: what are you going to do with that? >> buy food. >> reporter: a lot of these people have never even seen a hundred dollar bill, yet alone possess one, yet clearly the joy they feel goes deeper than the dollar amount. >> don't lose hope because

everything's going to be okay. >> reporter: carol hefty had five feet of water in her house. >> reporter: you're going to rebuild. >> reporter: she could certainly use the money but says the kindness this represents matters more. >> this will not be spent. >> reporter: why not? >> what >> because i'm going to frame it and put it in my house. the there's wonderful people. >> reporter: hope, that's what he doles out and perhaps no one needed that gift more than the woman he just so happened to stumble upon in this salvation army. >> we lost our whole house. >> you lost your whole house? >> reporter: he gave janice kennedy $300 and a brand new attitude. >> >> you're going to have a nice christmas. >> thank you! >> reporter: it just changed everything and i thought yeah, i will get the tree. i got happy. for some reason i had a smile on my face all night! >> reporter: looks like christmas is back on the calendar. >> to be.

>> reporter: 'tis the season for holiday movies, next.

>> osgood: just two days left till christmas. 'tis the season for holiday movie going. but when it comes to this year's yuletide offerings our critic is not ha particularly jolly man. >> reporter: the person who said if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all was clearly not a movie critic or he or she would have lived the life of a mute. believe me, i take no joy this holiday season in bringing you tidings of great annoyance. >> i know who you are. you're jean valjean. >> reporter: i so wanted to love the musical "les miserables.". trouble started in the first-- oh, 30 seconds. ♪ at the end of the day she's been nothing but trouble -- ♪ >> reporter: director tom cooper has the songs perform the songs live instead of lip sync to

prerecorded tracks-- and he won't let you forget it! ♪ follow to the letter your artillery, this will shame you until you die -- ♪ >> reporter: the camera rushes in on actor's faces, gets in real close. it must have been hard for them to keep their composeier as they went flat or sharp or in the case of russell crowe, into an uncanny fog of atonalty. >> reporter: do not forget me -- ♪ >> reporter: but i admire crowes-- all of their-- gumption the movie would be a monster hit and many will weep at the plight of hugh jack man's jean valjean as he labors to shake crowe's unshakable lawman javert while forced to sing an octave too high. >> reporter: strength to journey on -- ♪ >> reporter: meanwhile an emaciated anne hathaway. >> reporter:

♪ so different from the this hell i'm living -- ♪ >> reporter: performs the unforgettable "i dream add dream" in one take, in closeup, looking like a plucked chicken and earns every award that will surely be hurled at her skinny head. "revolution is also in the air in quentin tarantino's western "djago" unchanged in which freed slave jamie foxx and a bounty hunter take out slave holders. carnage is rarely so morally uncomplicated, which is enough reason to stay away. >> if you please, sir, there's a jack reacher here to see you. >> reporter: jack reacher features more rapeous killings and an opening sniper massacre that's the wrong scene at the wrong time. though really, what would be the right time? >> remember, you wanted this. >> reporter: novelist lee

childs' violent 6'5 vigilante hero is embodied by dinky tom cruise on tippy toes with his chest pumped up smirking at the knowledge that he's catnip to the ladies. >> that's a pretty impressive response time, fellas. >> reporter: in more ways than one, it's a reach. >> i lie about my age, stock? >> okay. >> okay? >> okay. >> reporter: jud apatow's mildly amusing self-pity fest "this is 40" -- >> i need you to look at something -- >> can we keep a small shred of mystery. >> reporter: features his real life wife and kids and enough shock recognition to power tits running time. >> give me back my piece. >> reporter: the overstylize anna karenina is deadly. "the hobbit" is punishment for loving "the lord of the rings" trilogy. >> what's in your bag, precious? >> reporter: but you know what's a surprise?

the barbra streisand seth rogan mother/son comedy "the guilt trip." >> mom! get off the freeway! mom! >> it's wan, sure, but the leads have a fragile and tenuous intimacy. >> good luck, sweetheart! thank you, ma'am, nice to meet you! >> reporter: that captures those attraction-repulsion aspects of kids and parents and it's nice to spend time with you babs. >> how long are we supposed to look at it? >> ten minutes. seems disrespectful for any less. >> who'll know? >> reporter: things to remember "lincoln" and "life of pi." they're essential. the psycho comedy "silver linings play book" is a triumph of emotional disequilibrium. "skyfall" and "argo" are still kicking around. there, i've said something nice. the rest is silence.

>> osgood: ahead, group portraits.

>> osgood: a still life is defined as small inanimate on the objects used as subjects for a picture. that's a definition applicable a family bill geist went to visit. >> reporter: amidst the annual blizzard of christmas cards, those from this family stand out. >> this was last year. >> reporter: at first glance they look normal enough-- the happy family aglow with holiday spirit. but there is something different about these cards-- about this family and, yes, about suzanne heinze, who creates them. here is suzanne's husband. mary margaret, their perpetually

eight-year-old daughter. >> most people when they send out their holiday cards they have a picture of their puppy or their puppy and their baby and i kind of felt left out. >> reporter: so 13 years ago, she sent her first family christmas card. >> the whole reason, really, why i started this was like a pressure to conform. >> reporter: oh. >> because i was getting older. still didn't have a ring on my finger and i just kept getting a lot of pressure. >> reporter: from her mom, for example. >> she just kind of point blank said "susie, when you just going to get married? when are you just going to pick somebody?" and i just blew up. i was like "mom, it's not like i can go out and buy a family!" >> reporter: or could she. >> i was walking past a retail liquidation outlet and i saw an entire family in the window and i thought -- >> reporter: it just hit you. >> lightbulb! >> reporter: for the record, her mother ann recalls no such nagging. >> oh, she tells me i did that. i think she told me but i don't

remember it. >> reporter: today modern families come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. but hers seems to be the first nuclear family unit with members made of the same substance as boat hulls and car bod dis. >> is he aloof? >> he's quite aloof. >> reporter: chauncey, what do you think about this talk about you being aloof and unresponsive? strong silent type. >> reporter: marely margaret hasn't changed a bit. >> she's an angel. complete angel. >> reporter: suzanne's cards are angstly awaited. what will it be this christmas? >> can i put this up here? >> reporter: this year she traveled from her denver home to steamboat springs, colorado. with her boyfriend and assistant

mannequin wrangler. do you need bigger boots is? >> they're a little small. >> reporter: kids grow! >> not this one! oh, god, he's breaking apart. hold him together, baby. >> look at you go! >> reporter: taking a good family photograph is never easy. >> the things we do for christmas. >> reporter: with a fiberglass family some assembly is required >> it's always been a royal pain in the neck. >> reporter: why do you go to so much trouble? >> it's part of the fun. everybody needs to move left quite a bit. it's like a challenge to me to see if i can do it and every year the stakes get higher. >> reporter: perplexed passers-by wondered what in the world she was doing. >> they're creepy. a little creepy. >> on your mark, get set! >> reporter: finally, after more

than three hours everything seemed set. >> whoa! whoa! (laughter) >> reporter: undaunted by the fall, suzanne forged ahead for another try at another location. >> just strap mary margaret on really good. >> reporter: christmas just days away. >> ready? ready? (dogs barking) >> whoa! whoa! >> reporter: wow! >> reporter: smile, smile! looks like the family has outdone themselves yet again. >> osgood: next, the oscar buzz around bradley cooper. ♪

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>> we got in all kinds of trouble last night and we can't find our friend and if you want to kill us go ahead because i don't even care anymore. >> reporter: stu, what are you

talking about? >>. >> osgood: that's broadly cooper in the smash hit 2009 movie "the hangover. cooper has starred in some of the biggest box office winners and with his latest roll some say he might be up for an oscar. serena altschul was the sunday profile. >> reporter: bradley cooper is one of hollywood's biggest stars. >> there were night it is four of us will never forget. >> reporter: he's played the leader of the wolf pack in "the hangover" movies. >> mike tyson? >> reporter: the jerk in "wedding crashers." >> are you okay? >> well, claire, my head's buried in a toilet. what do you think? why don't you do the math? >> reporter: and the heartthrob in "he's just not that into you." >> i have to actively stop my brain from thinking about you.

>> reporter: if that's that's not enough, he just finished his reign as "people" magazine's "sexiest man alive." what did your mother say in >> she was excited. that was like -- wow, i'm glad. >> reporter: now it's his role in the new film "silver linings play book" that has people talking. >> the world's hard enough as it is guys. it's (bleep)ing hard enough as it is. can't somebody say "hey, let's be positive? let's have a good ending to the story"? >> reporter: it's made cooper a serious oscar contender after being nominated for a screen actor's guild award. >> bradley cooper, "silver linings play book." >> reporter: and a golden globe. >> bradley cooper "silver linings play book." >> reporter: cooper plays a bipolar former teacher. >> she's making homemade, dad, be nice! >> reporter: who was released from a mental hospital and returns them his parents' house in philadelphia with a plan to put his life back together. he finds a kindred spirit in jennifer lawrence's character

who has emotional issues of her own. ♪ it curls and falls -- >> reporter: were you scared to take the start >> yeah, i was scared. i couldn't see myself in the role and i think i was wrong because i'd never felt more comfortable then as pat. look, i don't think you're crazy. >> yes, you! >> reporter: just like his character in the film. coming home to philadelphia is comforting for bradley cooper. hi, how are you? sweet ride! oh, my god! we met him at the highway theater near his boyhood home in the philly suburb of jenk kintown where much to his surprise the only movie playing is his. >> oh, how convenient. >> reporter: how cool is that? what does it mean to be a philly guy? >> fill philly's a very idiosyncratic city. i have a tremendous amount of pride because my family's roots are embedded in philly.

i spent a lot of time when i was growing up spending the days with my mother and she was a big shopper. >> reporter: his italian mother gloria stayed home with bradley and his sister holly. his irish father charles was a stockbroker. after work he would teach his son about movies. >> it was "the elephant man" and "apocalypse now" "taxi driver" "raging bull." >> reporter: you were young. >> i was like 11, 12, i was excited because i saw how much he was excited and i idolized him. >> reporter: when you sat in this theater as a kid did you think at all "i'd love to be an actor"? >> hundreds of times. it was a joke for people around me that this little kid was saying how he was going to be an actor. but i did. when i saw "the elephant man" i knew it. it crystalized. i said "this is what i'm going to do with my life." i never swayd from. that. >> reporter: soon he was rehearsing in his backyard. >> so you would go up over --

>> i would come out of my house and walk which my mother hated because she thought it was so dangerous. >> reporter: "get off the tracks!" >> yup. and movies like "platoon "or "stand by me" because that was all about train tracks when i was a kid. so me and my friends would pretend we were in "stand by me." >> reporter: but before he would become an actor, there was one thing cooper knew he had to do. >> i definitely put a lot of pressure on myself knowing that my father basically is an example of the american dream. so i had to go to college. >> reporter: he applied to georgetown university but didn't get in. >> it was a major thing and it was a major bonding between me and my father, actually. the one thing that he always really instilled in me was a belief in me. >> reporter: he tried again and was accepted a year later, studying english and french. he graduated with honors. then, in 1999, while studying

acting in new york, he landed a small part on "sex and the city." >> i need some smokes. do you want any? we were shooting on 14th street with sarah jessica parker and i loved it. then i got to go back to school the next day. >> reporter: back to reality. >> yeah. >> reporter: cooper worked steadily in movies and t.v., including a part on "alias." but while his career grew, so did hollywood's temptations-- like drugs and alcohol. >> just watching myself getting near to the abyss and i thought oh, wow, i'm going to sabotage my whole life." i didn't recognize myself. i was lost. >> reporter: friends helped get him back on track-- just in time for 2005's "wedding crashers." that made him a star, but cooper

would cement his place on hollywood's a-list with 2009's blockbuster comedy "the hangover." >> i think it's safe to say our luck has officially turned around, guys. we are back, baby! the level of the success "the hangover" had was phenomenal. in no way did i ever think it would do that. ever. >> reporter: "the hangover" and its sequel made more than a billion dollars worldwide. part three comes out next may. >> the truth is i couldn't believe i got cast in "the hangover" so i sort of gave up trying to rationalize my life a long time ago. just the fact that i'm here with you on this show that i grew up watching with my grandparents, charles kuralt, that's surreal. >> reporter: it seems all of bradley cooper's success has given him a new perspective. >> the older you get, you start to appreciate where you came from. when i was living here i thought -- i didn't feel the way i do now. now i love it, i don't want to let it go.

>> reporter: so he doesn't. >> the first kiss with a girl i was in love with was right here. at the noble train station. my grandfather's buick regal right there. >> reporter: he's 37 now and known as one of the nicest guys in hollywood. he comes home wherever he can. >> welcome back! nice to see you. >> reporter: what's >> thank you, what's your name? >> elaine. >> reporter: just watched "the hangover" for 159 time last night. >> thanks! hey, how's it going! >> reporter: hometown food is always on his mind so cooper visits his favorite spot. >> can you smell that? >> reporter: yes, i do. then heads down to the pond where his family used to feed the ducks after supper. >> we had dinner together no matter what. every night my mother would cook >> reporter: sacred times. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: a tradition that would carry on wherever he came

home. until his father-- his hero-- died last year after a long illness. >> my dad and i -- see this tree right here? >> reporter: yes. >> we planted this tree. >> reporter: you're kidding? >> it was literally this big. >> reporter: a little sapling. and look at it now! all these years after his dad taught him to believe in himself "silver linings play book" has shown another side to bradley cooper and hollywood clearly likes what it sees. >> thanks, bro! thank you! >> reporter: you are a philly boy through and through. i mean -- it's like crazy. still, he always remembers the town where he first fell in love with the silver screen. >> have a good weekend. whose birthday is it, your birthday? >> thank you. >> reporter: do you feel lucky? >> no question, i'm beyond lucky.

♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> osgood: 'tis the season for music. just ahead. ♪ just like the ones i used to know ♪

>> osgood: this christmas, perhaps even more than most, we have some music that offers more solace than most. now suggestions from mtv bill plan gahn. ♪ i'll be home for christmas >> reporter: there's music for every occasion and emotion. music is everywhere. we use it to worship and celebrate. but we need music most when we have to tran send loss and sorrow. at those times, music allows us to carry fwhaurdz might otherwise be too much to bear. there's a new book out by allen

light about leonard cohen's "hallelujah." ♪ composing hallelujah... >> reporter: a song which over the last 25 years has become a secular hymn. cohen's initial intention was w that song was not religious. in fact, it's a pretty world-weary lyric. but you know what? that doesn't really matter. as "hallelujah" has been sung by different voices and put to different uses it has become the anthem its audience needed it to be. ♪ your faith is strong, but you needed proof ♪ you saw her bathing on the roof ♪ her beauty in the moonlight went through ya ♪ >> reporter: paul simon says that "hallelujah" took the place that "bridge over troubled water" took as our secular spiritual. ♪ and friends just can't be

found ♪ like a bridge over troubled water...". >> reporter: isn't it remarkable that at the end of the '60s in a troubled place and troubled time simon wrote "bridge over troubled water" the beatles wrote "let it be." ♪ just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone ♪ >> reporter: and james taylor wrote "fire and rain." all songs of endurance and perseverance that used the vocabulary of the spiritual without religious reference. ♪ i've seen fire and i've seen rain, seen sunny days, thought they'd never end ♪ >> reporter: some healing socks come straight from scripture. the reggae classic "rivers of babylon" by the med loanians is based on psalm 137, the

babylonian exile. ♪ by the rivers of babylon where we sat down ♪ ♪ then on ward in my journey -- ♪ >> reporter: bob dylan's "every grain of sand" assures us that god loves us even when we do not love ourselves. that that al separation is possible because humans are infinitely redeemable. ♪ tura loora-- >> reporter: at our house we listen to bing crosby during the holidays and watch "going my way." it reminds us of our grandparents and grandparents and i suppose someday it will remind our kids of us. it's funny how many of those holiday songs are about separation and longing for reunion. you don't notice it when you're a child, but as you get older you appreciate the bittersweetness in those christmas songs. these are the shortest days of

the year and for some people they are the hardest. but starting now little by little the days get longer. the light is already coming back. ♪ and my all your christmases be be white ♪ >> osgood: ahead, nancy jiles on the gift that matters most.

>> osgood: christmas is about children, of course. the children we once were and the children we love now. it's also about growing up. with some thoughts on that, here's nancy giles. >> reporter: 'tis is season and giving and getting is in high gear and hopefully that purchasing will stimulate the economy and that will be a good thing. at a certain point-- since most of us are all grown up-- dedoo we need presents regardless of whether we were naughty or nice? can any new stuff be better than the time you got a give a show projector or a bikele with training wheels and fringe on the handlebars? or an easy bake oven with all the devils food cake mix pacts i'd need to live in my room forever! those were the best christmases,

when santa coming down the chimney in the middle of the night with toys and surprises was a real thing. that was wonderful. then came the bitter "no one understands me" years when i truly felt i gave much better than i got from my family at christmas. why the fenl p.j.s that were the same size as my younger sister who was six inches shorter than me? what's with the wrinkle reduction skin care system? and who thought of the blank book that i'd seen at barnes & noble under the last-minute stocking stuffer signs. i got that from two different siblings-- the same year. do you hear the? i was so selfish, self-involved, not one ounce of gratitude. forget about that "silent night holy night" jazz or kwanzaa orhan a traditions or even year-end reflection. christmas then was all about what i got or in my case didn't get. thankfully, somewhere along the line i got it. i don't need anything.

and the reminders are everywhere. hurricane sandy. seeing neighbors ravaged, homes washed away and neighbors sifting through debris for treasured family pictures. then last week the shooting in newtown, as the news broke it felt like the entire country stopped for a moment and got its priorities straight. what do we need? it's simple: loved ones, good health, a place to call home, food, clothing, a job and some wonderful memories. when i used to ask my mom what she wanted for christmas year after year she'd give the same weary response "love and peace." and i'll roll my eyes and say "okay, but what can i get you from macy's? now i get it. love and peace and giving to people in need. that's all i want for christmas from now on. i love math! but two ipads means two data plans?

that's crazy. maybe not. with at&t mobile share, adding an ipad is just $10 a month. but honestly, mom and dad's love is all i really need. we should keep these for us. we should keep these. what?! [ male announcer ] at&t mobile share. add an ipad for just $10 a month. one plan. up to 10 devices. at&t. rethink possible.

>> pelley: here's a look at the week i a ahead. monday marks the third anniversary of president barack obama's health care plan. the bill was signed by mr. obama in 2010. tuesday is christmas day and the 50th aer have air is of the the the premier of the movie "to kill a mocking bird." remember, we remember the 230 people died in the 2004 tsunami. thursday is the 08th birthday of new york's radio city music hall. speaking of birthdays, friday is the 90th for comic book legend stan lee who created spider-man, the hulk and all their crime-fighting friends. and saturday is the day supporters say maine's new same-sex marriage law ought to take effect but it's saturday. whether municipal offices will

be open to issue licenses isn't clear. and next sunday it's our custom at year's end to say hale and farewell. now we go to bob schieffer for a look at what's coming up on "face the nation." >> schieffer: morning charles. the president of the national rifle association, david keene, and ben affleck on separate topics but both on "face the nation." >> osgood: bob schieffer in washington. they say a third of us in this country are traveling someplace this weekend and that two-thirds are staying someplace and that place-- if only in our dreams-- is home. (plays "there's no place like home") ♪ i'll be home for christmas you can plan on me ♪ please have snow and mistletoe

and presents by the tree ♪ christmas eve will find me where the love lights gleams ♪ i'll be home for christmas if only in my dreams ♪ if only in my dreams

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eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job. to help safeguard against the acid erosion. maybmaybe you can't.re; when you have migraines with fifteen or more headache days a month, you miss out on your life. you may have chronic migraine. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do.

>> osgood: we leave you this sunday morning before christmas with the snows of nevada where horses serve as stand-ins for reindeer.

>> osgood: i'm charles osgood. we wish you and your it is merriest of christmases and hope you can join us next sunday morning. until then, i'll see you on the radio. captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org